In the ongoing battle over so-called network neutrality, a senior U.S. lawmaker plans to introduce a bill in January that would bar Internet providers like AT&T Inc from blocking Web content.
A top Dorgan aide said on Thursday that Sen. Byron Dorgan, a North Dakota Democrat, believes a law is essential to prevent telephone and cable companies from discriminating against Internet content, even though regulators have taken actions to enforce free Web principles.
Speaking at a University of Nebraska law school event on changes in telecom law after the election of Democrat Barack Obama, Frannie Wellings, telecom counsel to Dorgan, said her camp feels that legislation is definitely necessary.
Dorgan will be among the highest-ranking Democrats on the Senate’s Commerce Committee when it reconvenes in January and has, in the past, been influential on the issue.
The net neutrality fight pits Internet service providers (ISPs) like AT&T against content companies like Google and Microsoft.
The ISPs say they need to manage the ever-growing traffic on their networks without government interference.
But content companies say the ISPs hold too power much to block or slow down traffic requiring more bandwidth, such as movie downloads, or certain content altogether.
However, President-elect Barack Obama supports net neutrality legislation. Wellings said the election of Obama and more Democrats who back the concept adds momentum to the cause.
An AT&T official said that a recent Federal Communications Commission decision ordering Comcast to stop impeding the sharing of certain content between users proves regulators already have the authority.
Jim Cicconi, AT&T executive vice president for regulatory affairs, said the current (FCC) principles already deal with unreasonable discrimination, pointing to the Comcast case.
“The public would not pay for its Internet services if AT&T discriminated against content. We’d be shooting ourselves in the foot.”
Experts say with Comcast suing the FCC over the issue, much depends on the outcome of that case. Legislation will become much more likely if the court sides with Comcast.
“The telephone and cable companies say trust them,” said Markham Erickson, director of the Open Internet Coalition, a trade group that lobbies for net neutrality, with members such as Google and eBay.
“We will trust but verify.”
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